Breech mechanism



Sept 2, 11924..

' BREECH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 31 1923 3 Sheets-Shed Se t. 2, 192%:

H. J. STAMBAUGH ET AL BREECH- MECHANISM Patented Sept-2, .l I

- 'umran STATES HENRY J. STAMBAUGH, OF TROY, NEW YORK, AND GEORGE H. mm, wasm' INGTQN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGHOBS TO UNITED STATES comm, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A, CORPORATION 0]? 7memu ammo]: nonhuman Application filed December e1, 1923. Serial no. scares.

Figure 3, a sectionv on the line 3-3 of the county of Rensselaer and-State of New York, and Washington, in the District of Columbia, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech Mechanisms, of which the'following is a specification.

Our invention relates to breech mechanisms of the general type shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,348,594, granted to us August 3, 1920 and wherein provision is made for im- 1 parting motion of translation to the breech plug with respect to the carrier to get the gas check into and out of its seat, so that the slo e of said seat can be materially reduced an yet rovide sufficient clearance for swinging t e breech plug.

Objects of our invention areto rovide an improved construction for impartlng motion of translation to the breech plug which can be incorporated in existing types of guns at 25 a relatively small cost and with a minimum amount of alteration and additional equipment; which will control the movements of the plug during translation in a highly eficient manner; which will operate to impart motion of translation to the-plug in varying ratio with respect tothe plugs rotation and vice versa; in which all elements of the translating structure move relatively to the gun and carrier during translation; in which the movement of all the elements of the translating structure relative to the gun and carrier is efiected by rotation of the plug; which. can be employed as a component part of the breech mechanism actuating shaft, and when so employed operable either through the shaft or through the rotation of the plug when such rotation is accomplished independently of the shaft; and which will enable the translation of the plug to be eftested with great ease.

In the drawings chosen to illustrate our invention the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims i figure 1 is a rear elevation of a gun-constructed in accordance with our invention,

with the breech fully closed:

Figure 2, a section on the line 2-2 of ig1ire 4, a section on the line 4-4 of Fi 1 Y figure 5, a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the position of the parts just before the breech plug threads engage the screw box threads; and

Fi re 6, a view similar to Figure 4 showing t e po ition of the parts when full unlocking ro ation has been imparted to the breech plug.

Referring to the drawings A is the gun, B the breech plug, and O the swinging carrier which embodies a tubular spindle C. The

plug is mounted for both movements of 'ro- "i0 tation and translation with respect to the carrier. Extending axially through the plug .B and keyed to the spindle C for limited sliding movement relative to the plug is the stem- 10 of a mushroom 11 and confined-between the plug B and the mushroom 11 is a gas check 12 of the De Bangs type.

In the adaptation of our invention as illustrated the locking and unlocking rotation of the plug B is designed to be directly effected by rotation of a crank shaft 12', mounted in the carrier and operated through the medium of asuitable handle 13. Fixed to the shaft 12 is a crank arm 14 having a crank pin 15 engaged with a cross head-16 slidably mount-- ed in a rearward extension 17 of the plug for movement longitudinally thereof and whereby rotation of the shaft 12' willefiect rota- 1 tion of the plug B. I v

The locking rotation of the breech plug B is also adapted to be initiated by energy stored in the swinging breech mechanism and to this endzwe rotatably mount on the spindle C a sleeve 18 upon which the rear portion of the plug .B has bearing and provided on the rear end of this sleeve are dia-.

metrically oppositely disposed arms 19 and 2),

the free ends of which are turned forwardly as at 21 and project respectively into recesses 23 formed in the plug B. The forwardly turned portions 21 of the arms 19 and 20 each have mounted therein a pintle'22 and upon each pintle is rotatably engaged a roller 23' and these rollers are adapted to coact respectively with cams 24 formed on the a gun A for the purpose of initiating locking rotation of the plug B, In this connection it will be observed that owing to the interlocked relation between the outer ends of the arms 19 and 20 and the plug any rotation imparted to said arms and the sleeve 18 will in turn be imparted to the breech plug B. By providing diametrically opposite .disposed rollers on the operator we render the action of the parts more balanced. It will also be noted that the construction herein described and illustrated for initiating locking rotation of the plug and initiating opening movement of the carrier during unlocking rotation of the plug is fully covered in U. S. Patent No. 1,8485% granted to us August 30, 1920.

The mechanism for efiecting translation of the plug embodies an arm 25 fixed on the shaft 12 which carries a roller 26 adapt-v ed to coact with the walls of a cam groove 27 formed in the breech plug B during rotation.

of the shaft 12 to impart a movement of translation to the latter. 27 is of the variable lead type so that the desired translation of the plug will be effected in varying ratio to its rotation and vice versa. In connection with the plugs translating structure just described it is pointed out that while the same is shown associated with a breech mechanism in which the breech plug is rotated through'the medium of a crank shaft and in which the energy stored in the swinging mechanism is uti ized to initiate locking rotation of the plug and also in which unlocking rotation of the plug will initiate opening movement of the carrier, it is in no way limited to use in connection with such type of mechanism.

rectly operated by rotation of the The crank shaft and the operator formed by the sleeve 18 and arms 19 and 20 with their associated parts could be entirely dispensed with and the translating mechanism could then merely be constituted by a pivoted twoarm lever formed by the arms 14 and 25 and under such conditions the locking and unlocking rotation of the plug effected through any suitable means would pivot the arms 14 and 25 in a manner that would effect the desired translation of the plug 13 for the purposes heretofore set forth.

The invention previously described constitutes the subject matter of our prior abandoned application Serial Number 403,866, filed August 16, 1920, allowed May 24, 1921.

We claim I 1. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a threaded breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation andtranslation with respect to the carrier, a shaft rotatable on the carrier, and devices di' shaft when the threads of the plug are disengaged from the threads of the screw box of the :gun, to simultaneously rotate and translate the plug;

9.: In a gun, the combination of a verifier,

The cam groove a threaded breech plug mounted on the carrier for both'moti'ons of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a shaft rotatable on the carrier, and separate connections between the shaft and plug operating respectivel when the shaft is rotated with the threa s of the plug disengaged from the threads of the screw box of the gun, to'simultaneously rotate and translate the plug.

3. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a threaded breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a shaft rotatable on thevcarrier, and separate connections between the shaft and plug operating respectively, when the shaft is rotated with the threads of the plug-disenthe gun, to simultaneously rotate and trans late the plug, each of said connections having a portion fixed to the shaft.

4:. .In. a'gun, the combination of a carrier, a threaded breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, ashaft rotatable on the carrier, means operated by rotation of the shaft to rotate the-plug, and coacting elements on the plug and shaft operating to translate the plug when the latter is rotated by the shaft with its threads disengaged from the threads of the screw box of the gun. I

5, In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a shaft rotatable on the carrier, and crank arms on the shaft operatively connected with the plug to'respectively rotate and translate the latter during rotation of the shaft.

6. In a gun, the combination, of a carrier, a threaded breech plug mounted on the carrier for both movements of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a cam on the plug, a shaft rotatable on the carrier, means operated by rotation of the shaft to rotate the plug, and means on the shaft coacting with said cam to translate the plug when the latter is rotated by the shaft with its threads disengaged from the threads of the screw box of the gun.

7. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a rotatable shaft on the carrier, and devices simultaneously and directly operated by rotation of the shaft to effect rotation and translation of the plug invarying ratio.

8. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both movements of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier and separate and plug opconnections between the aha means erating during rotation of the shaft to simultaneously produce the movements of the plug in varying ratio with respect to each other.

9. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both movements of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a shaft rotatable on the carrier, means operated by rotation of the shaft to rotate the plug, and elements on the plug and shaft coaching directly during rotation of the shaft to impart movement of translation to the plug in varying ratio to plugs rotative movement.

10. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, a variable lead cam on the plug, a shaft on the carrier, means operated by rotation of the shaft to rotate the plug; and means on the shaft coacting with said cam during rotation of the shaft to translate the plug.

11. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, 21 breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, means for imparting motion of rotation to the plug, and coacting elements between the plug and carrier for imparting motion of translation to the plug during said rotation and in var ing ratio with respect thereto, each of said elements moving relatively to the carrier during said translation.

12. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech'plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, means for rm tatin the plug, .and coacting elements for trans ating the plug, one or which, is on the plug and the other pivotally mounted on the carrier for oscillation.

13. In a gun, the combination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and transla tion with respect to the carrier, means for rotating the plug,'- and coacting elements forimparting motion of translation to the plug during and in varying ratio to said rotation, one of said elements being on the plug and the other pivotally mounted on the carrier for oscillation.

14:. In a gun, thecombination of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier for both motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, means for rotating the plug, a two arm lever pivoted on arm of the lever and the plug whereby rotation of the latter will osci 1 ate the lever;

and connections between the other arm 0 the lever and the plug whereb oscillation of the lever will'translate the p ug.

15. In a gun, the combinatlon of a carrier, a breech plug mounted on the carrier forboth motions of rotation and translation with respect to the carrier, means HENRY a. s'rn'uen, enonen MeoAnn.-

the carrier, connections between one-- whereof we hereunto afix 

